Long-term Exhibitions

Long-term Exhibitions

The History of the Book and the Letterpress from their Beginnings to the Present

The history of writing, books, book printing and book culture in Czech lands as part of Europe.

Development of book culture in Czech lands is documented by items in the book exhibit – from medieval manuscripts, through old prints up through current graphics and book illustrations, including examples of samizdat (censored literature, manually and secretly copied by activists during the Soviet occupation) and literature written by exiles on loan from the collection Libri Prohibiti. Part of the exposition is a Baroque library of the Capuchin monastery from Roudnice nad Labem, a library from the castle Mladá Vožice in the Classicist interior of the former abbot's library and the personal library of Czech historian Gelasius Dobner in its original bookshelves.

The exposition is capped off with cubistic furniture from designer Josef Gočár and hand-carved furniture of the noteworthy multi-talented artist Josef Váchal, along with a small exhibit of his graphic work. The whole is rounded out with reconstructions of a medieval scriptorium, a 16th century print shop and several printing presses.

Worksheets are available for this exposition for students of elementary and middle schools.